The Milky Way

The Milky Way

The Milky Way is the galaxy that contains our solar system. It is a spiral galaxy made up of billions of stars, planets, gas, dust, and dark matter, all held together by gravity. The Milky Way is so vast that it would take about 100,000 years for light to travel across it. Understanding our galaxy helps scien...

The Milky Way is our galaxy and it is a vast collection of stars, gas, dust, and dark matter.

Astronomers estimate it contains between 200 to 400 billion stars!

On a clear night, far from city lights, you might see it as a bright white "river of stars" stretching across the sky.

But if you could see it from the outside, you’d n...